The best portable work and play device

The best tablets of 2016 are all about combination, with most offering a decent keyboard and desktop-style experience to sound the death knell for laptops. There are countless tablets on the market, but finding one that is right for you can be difficult. Whether you’re eyeing an iPad Air, Samsung Galaxy Tab or Xiaomi Mi Pad 2 for productivity, here are the key factors you need to consider when shopping and deciding on the right tablet for you.

Your preferred Operating System

When deciding what tablet to get, you first need to decide what operating system you would prefer. There are four options, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

If you have a smartphone and you like it, you might be happier getting a tablet that is made by the same company. There are many benefits of having an iPhone and an iPad, as the two can share apps and data. It the same with Xiaomi, Samsung, LG, Asus and others.

Else, you have the choice between the top few operating system that are currently available in the market. Choose between Apple iOS, Microsoft Windows and Google Android. Generally speaking, the greatest strength of Apple’s iOS, the operating system on the iPad Air, iPad mini, and iPad Pro tablet lines, is twofold. It’s very clean and intuitive, and the wide selection of iPad apps, with more than one million iPad-specific titles you can choose from.

Windows 10 comes the closest to offering a traditional computing experience with full x86 support for all of your Windows software. And you can run the full version of Microsoft Office when you buy a Win 10 tablet. Google Android is a fairly easy and well supported operating system. There is wide array of devices to choose from, including Samsung, Sony, Lenovo, Xiaomi. This gives you the best choices of devices with screen ranging from 6 inches to 13 inches.

Wi-Fi-Only vs. Cellular Models

For most people, wi-fi only tablets are ideal. They are usually cheaper to buy than their cellular models and you don’t have to worry about the extra cost of a data plan. If you’re mostly planning on using your tablet in the house or at work, a wi-fi only model will be sufficient. And wi-fi connection is available in many other locations too around Singapore. Singapore has a number of hotspots at cafes, libraries, to certain trains and shopping malls. Sometimes you may have to pay for access, but it is often free. Even if you know you’re going to be without a connection for a while, you can download content such as ebooks and films ahead of time to keep you entertained. In fact, many apps work just fine without needing to connect to the internet.

Features you want in a Tablet

Right Screen Size
There are a wide variety of sizes for tablets, from 7 inches all the way up to 13 inches. The iPad is in the 10-inch category. There was an early wave of 7-inch Android tablets, but more recently we’ve seen a number of tablets that fall somewhere in between 7 and 10 inches. It really depends on your type of usage. If you are a movie junkie, then we recommend that you go for the bigger 10 inches tablets. It give the best portable movie watching experience.

Battery Life
The difference between a tablet with great battery life and a tablet with poor battery life is night and day. The Apple iPad gets 10 hours of battery life, so pick one with a similar batter life when you’re looking for in any other device. A long battery life is crucial for portability, especially for those long us rides or road trips.

Performance
Generally-speaking, the higher the GHz, the better. If you want to run the latest apps and games smoothly, then go for a quad-core processor. You’ll also want a decent amount of RAM, at least 2GB. Remember to check reviews on how the different tablets perform against each other. Apple iPad is good at getting better performance out of its hardware. Ultimately, the more horsepower your tablet has now, the longer it can last and still meet your needs despite the technology advancements in the future.